Global Cleantech 100: a strong showing for innovative water technologies

Jim Witkin delves a little deeper into the companies who have taken up the challenge of securing water supplies

The World Bank estimates that 25% to 30% of water is lost in distribution due to leaks and other infrastructure problems. TaKaDu makes a web-based platform that continuously monitors sensor data from water distribution networks. Photograph: Petros Giannakouris/AP

Securing adequate water supplies to run our industries, grow food crops and satisfy the thirst of a growing population has become one of the world's most pressing challenges. Estimates from the World Bank report that 80 countries are now facing water shortages, while 2 billion people lack access to clean water for basic needs.

Many of today's brightest entrepreneurs have taken up the challenge, and the presence of 11 companies that are developing innovative water technologies on this year's Global Cleantech 100 makes it one of the largest sectors on the list.

Making the water grid smarter

Water utilities suffer the same inefficiencies as energy companies that distribute electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses; a certain amount of loss occurs along the way. The World Bank estimates that 25-30% of water is lost in distribution due to leaks and other infrastructure problems.

But to plug a leak you have to find it, according to TaKaDu, an Israeli-based company. It makes a web-based platform that continuously monitors sensor data coming from water distribution networks. Running this data through a set of algorithms and statistical tests, it can detect leaks, bursts, faults or other network problems, and send alerts to utility workers.

Fluctuations in water pressure can also impact water distribution networks, a problem being addressed by UK-based i2O Water. The company makes a management system that can continuously adjust water pressure in the network based on consumption and day-to-day changes in water flow.

Using their technology to optimise water pressure can reduce leaks by 30% and bursts by 40%, they say, according to results from current installations with utility customers in Malaysia, the UK and Chile.

Treating contaminated water

A number of different technologies exist to clean contaminated water so it can be reused for irrigation, manufacturing or human consumption. But the process is not without its drawbacks, for example in the harmful byproducts that can result and the large amount of energy needed.

Emefcy, another Israeli company, calculates that wastewater treatment uses 2% of global power and produces 57m tons of CO2 each year. The company has developed a microbial fuel cell that produces electricity from the break down of organic material during wastewater treatment, which can offset the large energy demands of the process.

Californian company, APTwater, says its environmentally-friendly method for destroying contaminants is based on clean chemical reactions and naturally occurring biological systems. It cleans groundwater and wastewater for municipalities and large industrial clients while producing little or no waste byproducts.

Epuramat, based in Luxembourg, also works with municipal and industrial clients providing compact wastewater treatment facilities and oil-water separation systems. Its technology is chemical free, and instead relies on gravity and fluid dynamics to separate solids from liquids.

Canadian company, FilterBoxx, builds water treatment systems in containerised boxes, which can be delivered to hard-to-reach locations like drilling, mining and pipeline camps, resorts, and remote villages. The company's products are now deployed in Canadian oil sands operations.

Ostara has developed the bright idea of recovering pollutants like phosphorous and nitrogen from municipal and industrial wastewater to make a slow release, eco-friendly fertiliser, which can become a source of revenue for its clients. The Canadian-based company currently has four nutrient recovery facilities in operation in North America and others under construction in Europe.

Getting the salt out

Desalination proponents like to say, "we don't have a water problem; we have salt problem," suggesting there's plenty of fresh water to be extracted from the world's oceans which cover 75% of the planet.

While large-scale desalination has been with us for several decades, much of the recent innovation has centred on reducing the energy requirements of this technology.

Reverse osmosis has become an increasingly popular form of desalination for this reason. The process uses high pressure to force salty water through a membrane allowing the water to pass through it while trapping the solids.

Saltworks Technologies, a Canadian company, delivers a number of filtration and reverse osmosis desalination plants for clients like Nasa and the Canadian navy.

US-based NanoH2O, says its breakthroughs in nano structures and polymers have allowed it to develop reverse osmosis membranes that decrease the amount of energy required while increasing the amount of clean water that results from treatment.

Voltea, based in the Netherlands, takes a different approach to desalination using a capacitive deionisation technology, a process that draws salt ions out of the water by applying a low-voltage electric current. The process, they say, recovers 80 to 90% of the water treated, compared to 50 to 70% for reverse osmosis, and uses less energy.

Bringing clean water to the developing world

Some 3.4 million people die each year from waterborne diseases, according to the World Health Organisation, making it the leading cause of death especially among children in developing regions.

Working to relieve this suffering, WaterHealth International currently provides low cost water purification facilities to water stressed communities across Bangladesh, Ghana, India and the Philippines. The company, which is headquartered in the US, says it is now creating clean drinking water for 5 million people in these areas.

Their solution uses mostly off the shelf technologies like UV light disinfection and multi-stage filtration to remove silt, bad taste and odours. But their business model is unique, as the company shares the cost of the facility with the community and works closely with them to install, operate and maintain it for at least 10 years.

A global impact

The companies highlighted here are recognised not only for their innovations, but also their ability to bring these solutions to scale and make a substantial impact over the next five to 10 years. As looming water shortages threaten health, stability and economic development in many regions of the world, impact has never been more critical.